CURRENT CLASSES UNTIL JUNE 2010

BALANCE Studio, Northampton

Mondays - 7pm to 8.30pm (all levels)

Wednesdays - 11.00am to 12.30pm (“Gentle” Yoga Class for those needing to take things a little more slowly and easier)

Drop-in students welcome but check with Rachel first to let her know you are coming.  Charge is £10 per class or £65 for 7 sessions.  Contact her via rachel@orangetreeyoga.com or call 07725120043.

PRIVATE CLASSES & CORPORATE EVENTS

Rachel teaches clients at BALANCE on a private 1:1 basis or in their own home if more convenient.  Personal programmes of yoga can be maintained and monitored combined with massage or as stand-alone classes.  She also teaches at festivals, events and corporate workshops.  For further information, contact her via rachel@orangetreeyoga.com or call 07725120043.

MONDAY MASSAGE

Rachel is offering back and shoulder, half and full body massage treatments on Mondays.  She can focus on specific problem areas or provide a relaxing and rejuvenating treatment to anyone suffering from stress or anxiety, or just needing some peace and tranquillity.

For massage treatments and private yoga classes, clients will be required to fill in a medical questionnaire – all information will be treated in the strictest confidence.  For bookings or further information, contact her via rachel@orangetreeyoga.com or call 07725120043.

If you look at the various positions of different kinds of riders, you will see also that the posture applied by the design of the bike can vary too – in racers, the rider is forwards so the lower back muscles elongate and the upper back can be very rounded.

In street bikes, there is a more upright posture and in cruisers, the legs and hips are slung forwards and the hands are high up. All of these positions have an effect on the spine which will effect the impact into the lower body and the internal organs.

Yoga can help to improve a persons riding technique by toning all the muscles groups through weight bearing and toning exercises as well as targeted posture work to focus on specific areas. With the awareness of posture through yoga, riders can often improve their riding position by learning how to be a relaxed rider with all their muscles and joints working efficiently and ergonomically. Once off the bike, a few simple stretches can help to alleviate the stiffness and cramps and a regular practice will keep riders fit and healthy to ride better and longer. Regular yoga practice also helps with concentration, coordination and reaction speeds and although unfortunately accidents do happen, the recovery time in people who do yoga regularly is a lot faster and better than in those who have no body health programme in place.

Massage also alleviates tired muscles or tension in shoulders, backs and legs and a good therapist will often give advice on posture and preventative measures – a good therapist or teacher won’t just love you and leave you – they will be a point of reference for you to keep working towards a better ride, a safer ride and and better one life.

Rachel offers private consultations to focus on specific areas for any sport or activity.  As a qualified yoga teacher and massage therapist, she is able to provide a fully comprehensive body maintenance service to help people maintain their fitness, strength and flexibility as well as managing their stress and relaxation levels. She runs classes and workshops in Northampton and around the UK and provides massage treatments to target specific problem areas such as upper back & shoulders, arms, legs and neck.

A  big thank you to everyone who came today to the workshop at BALANCE.  We focussed on postures which help to alleviate the symptoms of depression and anxiety.  The morning session looked at gentle ways to open the chest leading into some simple back-bending techniques which had everyone giggling – a quite normal reaction!  After a short lunch break, we looked at postures to combat anxiety such as inversions followed by more introverted forward bends and restorative postures to calm the senses and rest the nervous system.  It was a wonderful day and as we left the studio, the sun shone on a beautiful spring day.

Next workshop dates at BALANCE are 2nd, 3rd & 4th April – check the Classes page for details of a new 7 week class starting on March 15th & 17th plus other workshops around the UK.

Cost is £10 and all levels including new beginners are welcome.

Pre-booking required – come to any class but let Rachel know first!  Contact her via rachel@orangetreeyoga.com or call 07725120043.

Friday, Saturday & Sunday 2nd, 3rd and 4th April 2010

Join Rachel for a whole weekend of yoga at BALANCE, Northampton with options for all levels of student including new beginners. For bookings, please contact Rachel on 07725120043 or email her direct at rachel@orangetreeyoga.com

Friday 7pm to 9pm General/Intermediate Class – £15
Saturday 10am to 12.30pm & 1.15pm to 3.45pm All Levels Day – £18 per session or £35 all day
Sunday 10am to 12pm New Students/Beginners Class – £15

Saturday 6th & Sunday 7th MARCH 2010 – BALANCE Studio, NORTHAMPTON

11am to 1.30pm & 2pm to 4pm Saturday
1pm to 3pm Sunday

How to sequence yoga postures to calm the mind & help alleviate depression

The Saturday morning session is now fully booked so clients are invited to attend the afternoon session (only for students who practice inversions such as headstand and shoulderstand) or the extra all-levels session on Sunday 7th March from 1pm to 3pm.

Prices £18 for each session (suitable for all levels) or £35 for whole day on Saturday.  To book, contact Rachel at rachel@orangetreeyoga.com or call 0207 5588658.

13th MARCH 2010 – WINCHESTER, HAMPSHIRE

10am to 12.30pm, Church Rooms, St Mary’s Church, London Road, Kingsworthy

Yoga Morning for All Levels including Beginners.

£18 or £15 for unwaged – Please bring yoga equipment if you have it or contact Rachel to borrow kit.

Location details to be confirmed. Please contact Rachel to enquire.

YOGA STOPS TRAFFICK is a one-day global Yoga event to raise awareness about human trafficking in India and arcross the world.

On MARCH 13th 2010 Yogis everywhere will roll out their Yoga mats to take a stand against trafficking and show their support to its millions of victims.

Kicking-off from the grounds of the Mysore Royal Palace, YOGA STOPS TRAFFICK INDIA will be led by a group of young people from local anti-trafficking organisation Odanadi Seva Trust, many of whom are survivors of slavery, domestic abuse and forced prostitution. Over the years Astanga Yoga has come to play a vital role in their rehabilitation program: building their physical and mental strength, restoring a sense of peace, confidence and self-worth.

Get involved by organising your own YOGA STOPS TRAFFICK event at your local yoga centres, living rooms, parks or any other public spaces – just use your imaginations.

To request more information, promotional materials, fundraising suggestions or to find out more about Odanadi please contact Sean Cleere or Sarah Harris at yogastopstraffick@gmail.com. Or just visit our website www.odanadi-uk.org.

Bandha Yoga have produced one of the all-time best series of yoga with anatomy & physiology workbooks available to students and teachers.  The detail and content is outstanding and what’s more, it’s user friendly with clear diagrams and explanations. Written by an orthopedic surgeon and with over 500 detailed full color illustrations it is a fantastic and insightful read which combines modern Western science with the ancient art of Hatha Yoga.

Click here for a sample chapter from Bandha Yoga.

Please find below a link to the newly launched Curracloe House Yoga Centre website, where we will be hosting our first of I’m sure many Iyengar Yoga holidays in Wexford, Southern Ireland.  The Centre is run by the wonderful Iyengar teacher, Christine  Fisk, who has turned her beautiful space into a retreat for yoga and nature lovers.  Here is a small extract from her new website:

Curracloe House Yoga Centre

Curracloe House Yoga Centre is situated at the rear of an Irish Georgian Farmhouse and has wooded grounds and farm environment. The estate is situated at the edge of an area of great natural beauty and is habitat to one of the largest migrant bird populations in the world.

Curracloe Beach & Raven Wood

There is a 12-mile long sandy beach 5 minutes walk from the front gate, excellent for walking and swimming. The Centre is adjacent to Raven Wood, 300 acres of forest planted on the sand dunes about eighty years ago to stabilise the dunes at the point.

Time at Curracloe House Yoga Centre is quiet, peaceful and refreshing. As Gibran notes:

“In the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.”

www.curracloehouse.com

200 gms butter

1 cup sugar (white or brown or mixed)

400 gms dark chocolate

grated peel of 1 orange

half cup of coarsely chopped hazlenuts

2 tbsp finely ground hazlenuts (you can also use walnuts, almonds or chopped cherries or a combination)

6 eggs whisked together

Set over to 150°c.  Line a 12″ (approx) tin with greaseproof paper.

Melt butter, sugar and chocolate and stir in the orange.  Leave to cool for 5 mins.

Add chopped and ground nuts and eggs.  Whisk well.

Pour into tin and cook for 12 mins.  The cake will puff up high and the surface will crack.

To test if cooked (other than eating it), insert a sker and it should come out clean.

Eat and enjoy!